Naruto: The New Age of Shinobi
by JonBoombo
Summary: 50 Years have passed since the end of Naruto Shippuden. The future of the Ninja World has been peaceful since then. However, tension begins to run high after new threats emerge for the Ninja World. All OC cast  Inspired by the art of osy057 and others
1. Chapter 1

_Prelude: The Uzumaki Treaty_

_ 50 years ago, the Fourth Great Shinobi War against Madara Uchiha's Akatsuki forces and the Allied Shinobi Forces (ASF) ended. The victory came about upon the 7th Hokage, and Second Leader of The ASF, Naruto Uzumaki's defeat of the sinister Madara and the imprisoning of the Tailed Beasts. The 7th sealed each of the nine Tailed Beasts into inanimate objects made to contain the beasts and keeping them from being used to wage yet another war. Also, in an attempt at peace, The 7th passed the Uzumaki Treaty along to the other Kage and had them all sign it. This act made it a new law against the treaty for one Hidden Village to attack another, and joined all the Hidden Villages together to fight against those who would attempt to break the Treaty. For 50 years, this peace has remained as Ninja have still trained and found work within their own villages. Ninja have migrated and gone to new lands in this time of peace, and so far nothing has come up to ever jeopardize this peace. So far..._

_Chapter 1: Team 11_

50 years into the Peacetime, Ayaka Midori found herself in the Hokage's Office. The bustle of secretaries and meeting happening on the other sides of doors filled the hallway as she marched down it. Ayaka was not the most intimidating of Konoha's Jonin. Her hair was a deep blonde, tied back into a high, fanned-out ponytail. Her eyes were brown, and her face was youthful, free of any make-up and quite contradictory of her age of 21. She wore a green Konoha headband on the top of her head, holding her hair back. Her skin was very lightly tanned, which could be seen in her bare shoulders and thighs. She wore a short-sleeve green top with cutaways at the shoulders and it ended at the belly. Under this she wore a black Turtleneck that ended with the top. Over her belly she wore fishnet, and she wore black short shorts. Over these shorts however was an olive green sash. The outfit was completed with high yellow and green striped socks that went up to the hip, leaving some of her thighs bare, and matching gloves that went all the way up to a few inches before her shoulder.

Ayaka entered the Hokage's office where she was greeted by a man with pink bushy hair. His eyes were a brilliant blue and he wore the robes of the Hokage. This man was the 9th. He smiled as Ayaka entered the office, also smiling. He spoke rather loudly and happily across the room to her. "Ayaka! Here to look at your new team I take it?" He said inquisitively.

"Of course," She said lackadaisically. "I haven't had a team in my life!" Ayaka said, becoming increasingly louder and more excited.

"Sure," The Hokage said with a smile. He handed Ayaka three packets of paper that she quickly snatched out of his hands. She smiled down at them, before turning and quickly walking away. She didn't say a word as the Hokage beamed after her.

Ayaka sat down on her bed in her bright green room. The entire room was adorned with various flowers and plants, and at the center of it was her green and yellow floral-themed bed. She picked up the first packet of papers and smiled at it. Paper-clipped to the front of the packet was a photograph of a boy. The first thing about the boy that caught her attention was the bright red mohawk going down the center of his head. It wasn't a tall mohawk, but a simple stripe of medium-length ginger hair, pushed back and surrounded by shorter white hair. The boy had two black dots on his temple, and red make-up that imitated bags under his golden-brown eyes. He would've had a boyish smile if it weren't for the fact that he clenched a red and gold pipe in his teeth. The boy wore a white robe, lined with red and adorned with red flame pattern at the bottom of it. This robe was tied shut at the waist with a red sash, leaving his entire chest bare. He wore red bandages on his hands and forearms, and matching bandages on his feet. His pants were simple white.

Ayaka removed the picture from the packet and read the name that headed it aloud. "Maguma Irori," She said curiously. She began to read the dossier aloud to herself.

"Maguma Irori was born to the prestigious Maguma Clan. Since the days of Naruto Uzumaki, before the Terumi Clan assimilated to the Maguma bloodline, not a single member of the clan has been able to awaken it's inherent Yoton techniques. The prophets told the Maguma Clan that the firstborn son of its current leader, Kishi, would be the first Maguma to awaken the Yoton and bring the clan back to prosperity. Kishi's wife, Hara, was found to be pregnant a few weeks later with Kishi. However, it turned out that she was pregnant with twins. The entire clan was in an uproar over which son would be named the heir to the clan and be their shining light. They decided that the first child to be delivered would be named the heir, and that child was Irori's twin brother, Kurata.

"Irori was immediately cast into the shadow of his brother from birth. His family seems to look down on him and used him as a bargaining chip by accepting a bribe to marry him to Himoto Aimi. He has simply been a figurehead his entire life. He graduated top of his class in the Ninja Academy and shows great proficiency in his clans signature Fire Style jutsu."

Ayaka frowned upon finishing. It seemed the first of her Genin was top of the class, but still a pitiful fallen prince. She tossed the packet to her side and looked at the photo on the next one. This depicted another boy. Not much could be told about him due to the mask covering the bottom half of his face. He seemed to stand shorter than Irori. His hair was dark brown and his bangs hung down below his left eye. His other eye revealed their color to be dark brown. He wore a tight black turtleneck shirt and simple black pants. His right arm seemed to be a glossy blue. She took off the picture and began to read the dossier, a little disheartened.

"Hyoga Hyoshi. He was found with a scroll and a missing right arm at the gates of Konoha. He lives alone and graduated with average grades from the Academy. He does not know his family."

Ayaka frowned even harder. Her team sounded much more depressing than she had hoped. She picked up the last dossier in hopes that the girl on the team would at least be someone she could relate with. She examined the picture and saw a pale girl in a mauve dress. The girl had hair very similar to Ayaka's but it was much messier and rugged. Her face looked tender in the face, but the smile she wore said otherwise. Her eyes were big and a very vivid green, which contradicted the sly smile she wore. She looked very much the part of the pretty girl, who just had the wrong attitude. Her mauve dress was very conserved. It was not low cut at all, and covered her entire body since she wore skin-tight black pants under it. Ayaka took the picture off of the file very hesitantly and began to read.

"Mayaku. Born to Mitomi, doesn't know her father. Her mother is currently being watched closely by ANBU Black Ops for allegations of crimes against the countries in the Peacetime. Mayaku has not gotten along with a single person since joining the academy. She can barely mold any sort of chakra and only barely passed the class. She graduated at the bottom of the class."

As Ayaka finished reading, her eyes slanted and she tossed the dossier up into the air as she fell back across her bed. She sighed deeply to herself and began to talk to the ceiling of her bright green room. "Aw," she started, "I was _so_ excited for the new team and _that'_s what I get! A fallen prince, an orphan, and a bad-seed girl! There's no way I'll get along with them! They sound no fun at all!" She groaned before sitting back up and looking at the dossier papers strewn across the room. "As if trying to get along with a trio of 15-year-olds wouldn't be hard enough, they _have_ to be misfits..." She put her face in her hands and stared down at the floor. After a few seconds she lifted her head back up and smiled. '... But, I guess they're no better than me!"

Three kids stood outside the gates of Konoha. The gates themselves stood tall, and they were surrounded by trees. It was currently spring, so the weather was pleasantly warm and the wind swayed the trees and blew leaves all around the outside of the gates. Irori Maguma was leaning against the Konoha wall. He only looked slightly different from the picture of his academy days. He now sported a 2-inch long red ponytail hanging from the back of his head, matching his mohawk. Also, this Irori wore his robe hanging open, without the red sash seen in the picture, leaving his entire abdomen bare. Hyoshi Hyoga leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the Konoha gates. He also looked slightly different, now wearing a blue jacket with a mass of white fur for the collar over his turtleneck. Finally, Mayaku stood in front of them, looking in at the gates. The only difference in this Mayaku from her academy picture was that she now sported high slits up the skirts of her mauve dress, revealing the black tights she wore under it.

The three Genin stood silently, none of them making eye contact with the others. Irori took a big puff of smoke after 10 minutes of waiting and released it slowly as he broke the silence. "Some sensei if she's going to run _this_ late!" He commented loudly with an annoyed tone. He was simply speaking to anyone who would listen and after a hesitation, he was answered.

"I don't think she's supposed to be anything special. I've never even heard of her..." Hyoshi droned in a smooth, lazy voice. Irori smiled and responded with a laugh, "Yeah! I asked my family and none of them have ever heard of her either. Ayaki Midori, eh? Not much of a Jonin!" Irori said at boastful volume. His voice was a lot rougher and deeper than Hyoshi's. He spoke like a man with purpose. He spoke like he was a true heir.

Hyoshi had no response to that comment, but Mayaku would speak up for the first time. "Your family? Spoken like a true spoiled brat!" Mayaku droned mockingly. Her voice was very deep for a girl of her age. As she spoke, her eyes slanted spitefully at Irori. Irori returned her glare as he took a puff from his pipe and she began to pick her teeth with her fingernail. Tension was just beginning to get high, and Hyoshi was beginning to scoot away across the wall from the two when a loud rustle came from the forest. All three Genin turned too look curiously out at the forest.

The trees in the front of the forest spread apart leaving a gap in the middle of them and the trees bent inwards towards the gap. The leaves of the trees began to morph into shades of pink, yellow, and green and a massive pink and green rose sprouted up in the gap. The rose was closed at first, but then the flower budded, and inside it stood Ayaka Midori. The Genins' eyes slanted as they stared at her. She shouted out happily as the pedals of her rose lifted her into an ascent towards the Genin, "Welcome my Genin apprentices! I am Ayaka Midori, your Jonin! I am personally incredibly excited to meet you all! Welcome to Team 11!"

Ayaka beamed happily at the three very unimpressed Genin. Irori pulled his pipe from his teeth and addressed her sternly, "A little indulgent, don't you think?" The three Genin shared their first laugh together, as a drop of sweat came from Ayaka's forehead. Her flowers all turned back to normal as she shouted at the team with a pouty tone, "You _kids _are _supposed_ to be cute! You're not cute at all!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Honeymoon_

Ayaka led the three Genin through the forests outside of Konoha. They all followed very unenthusiastically, as she tried to keep a happy demeanor ahead of them. She stopped and looked behind her at the Genin who had stopped promptly. She squinted her eyes at Irori, who returned a nervous look, butting his left hand behind his head. "You know, you all don't _have_ to be best friends, but at least _try_ to get along!" She announced to the team. "Whether you like it or not, you're a team now! And you have to work with each other AND me!"

Irori's expression remained one of nervous surprise. He looked behind him to Hyoshi and Mayaku and saw that they both were just as surprised and nervous as he was. Ayaka had seemed like a nice person this whole walk, smiling and whistling, but apparently she had a darker side. She seemed very serious about them all learning to get along.

Irori agreed with what she seemed to be saying, knowing that'd either get along or fail. However, he hated that an heir like himself was on a team with the unknown sensei, the little lost boy, and the daughter from the drecks of society. He deserved a better team, but he was sure they were all good people. Just as he finished his thought, however, there was a loud crash as Ayaka appeared to get smashed into the ground. Upon observing, Irori realized that Ayaka had been crushed under a massive tree. Suddenly, his thought was proven wrong. The tree began to move and he noticed small dark branches on the underside of it, appearing like legs. Before anyone could say anything, the crashing sound surrounded them, and the worm went screaming by behind them, running straight into Mayaku. All Irori saw was Mayaku scream, then be picked up by the branch legs.

The entire worm finally crawled all the way out of his eyesight, and he finally looked over to Hyoshi. They looked at each other for a bit before Irori spoke up. "So, should we try to save her?" Irori said with hesitation. Hyoshi's eyes were wide. His eyes glance over at the fallen trees, then back to Irori. "It's pretty big," Hyoshi said nervously, still retaining his smooth voice. Irori smiled confidently. "And just because you said that, now I wanna go after him!" Irori's gruff voice said excitedly.

Irori loved to act out, and due to his childhood, he especially loved to act out if it goy him a hero's attention. He'd lived in the shadow of his brother, Kurata, his whole life, and anything that made him look better was something he wanted to be a part of. So, without hesitation, Irori clamped his teeth tight on his pipe, then jumped to the trees and began hopping through the branches after the giant worm. He looked behind him and he felt his adrenaline pump as he saw Hyoshi darting up beside him along the blurs of trees. Hyoshi's face was serious and hard to read, mostly because of the mask, but Irori could tell that deep down he was nervous.

They began to catch up with the wooden monster, seeing it in the distance. The pair kicked up their speed and passed the worm and stopped about quarter of a mile ahead of it. They turned to watch it approach, Irori perched on his right foot, left knee and left fist, Hyoshi standing straight. Irori looked up at Hyoshi, who looked down at him. "We'll get it when it makes it here," Irori said confidently as the worm quickly caught up with them. He looked in at his jacket and saw that he still had white papers lining the inside of it. He looked back up and the worm's head was just whizzing by. Hyoshi jumped off of the branch onto its back first. He quickly pulled out a kunai knife and slammed it into the back of the worm,suing it to grip on it's back. Irori pulled his jacket off and formed a hand seal with his left hand. "Transformation Jutsu!" He shouted as the cloak turned into an exact copy of the now-shirtless Irori. that copy left off onto the back of the worm just like Hyoshi, and slammed his pipe's reed into it's back a few yards behing Hyoshi. The two ninja didn't ride the worm long before Irori's copy slammed his hand into a splinter coming from where his pipe stuck in the wood. The splinter impaled his hand, and in a puff of smoke it turned to Irori's robe, caught on the splinter. Irori himself, who was following the worm, slammed his hand together into a hand seal. "Explosive Tags Remote Detonate!" Irori shouted as a short burst of flames emitted from the papers on the inside of the jacket. Then, with a loud boom, they exploded in a wide radius off of the worm's back. This caused the worm to rear up, and Hyoshi jumped off of it and landed on the ground.

The worm had stopped moving, now sporting a large crater in it's back from the explosion. Otherwise the dense worm was fine. Irori landed on the ground next to Hyoshi and looked under the worm where he saw Mayaku coming running towards them. As the worm's front end returned to the ground, Mayaku reached the two ninja. "Let's go!" She shouted, but Irori and Hyoshi had been watching the worm eye them down with glowing green bulbs for eyes. It's eyes were surrounded by pink and yellow flower petals. Mayaku turned to meet eyes with it too.

We'll have to kill it," Hyoshi stated bluntly. The other two nodded in agreement and Irori smiled. Irori lunged at the monster, aiming above it's head. the worm moved it's head up to meet him, and in midair, Irori spun and delivered a right kick straight to the underside of it's mandibles. It wasn't till now that Irori noticed it's decaying wooden mandibles, covered in moss. This was a frightening sight and surprised Irori. As scary and big as the beast was, his kick had knocked back it's 2 ton wooden head a bit.

Meanwhile, Irori noticed Hyoshi had just started to run alongside the right of the worm. he clapped his hands together quickly in several hand seals, before ending on one. His right hand was in a fist, turned knuckles-up, with his left palm covering the top of it. This was the Dog seal. "Secret Art of Water! Sheer Cold Forbidden Fog!" Hyoshi shouted as he put both of his hands in front of his face, palms outward, so that his thumps and index fingers made a diamond-shaped hole over his mouth. Hyoshi breathed out of his mouth, and from the diamond hole came a thick stream of dark blue fog that he spit at the worms legs as he dashed by. The fog hit the target, and then condensed into glassy ice, leaving the worm frozen to the ground.

As Irori descended to the ground from his own attack, he looked up to see Mayaku leaping up over him. She ripped a pouch from her belt, then threw the little brown cloth bag down the worm's gaping throat. She continued to soar over it's head, do a corkscrew flip, land on the worm's back and slide down it. She leaped off of the worm's back to meet Hyoshi at the tail end, where he had just finished his freezing run. She shouted to Irori. "Light the powder in the bag I just threw in it!" Mayaku demanded in a harsh, but concerned tone. Irori had only heard her speak twice, but didn't like how she addressed things. Either way he complied.

Irori leapt up into the air, over the worm's gaping mouth just as Mayaku had done. he thought of one good way to light the powder. Irori sucked hard and sucked a mouthful of tobacco from though his pipe. He held the tobacco in as he soared. Then, he channeled some his inner energy, his chakra, into the pipe. The pipe began to glow red with heat, which didn't harm him due to his immunity to it. He turned the hot pipe around and threw it, reed-first, into the worm's mouth. He kept soaring on over the worm's head, and as he began his drop, he noticed the crater he left in the worm's back. He spit out the mouthful of tobacco he had kept in his mouth as quickly formed some hand seals. He stopped with his hands clasped together, fingers laced except for his index fingers and middle fingers which stood up straight against each other. This was the Tiger seal. "Fire Style! Grand Fireball Jutsu!" He shouted as he inhaled deeply, puffing his rather toned chest out. He made a small ring with his thumb and index finger in front of him, then blew a stream of fire threw it. The red-hot fire formed into a fireball, which hit the tobacco and ignited it. Irori landed feet-first on the ground between Hyoshi and Mayaku and watched the burning crater in the worm's back.

"Why did you want me to ignite that pouch, eh?" Irori asked curiously. Mayaku, to his right, gave him a side glance and smirked. They all looked back at the worm as purple smoke emanated from it's mouth and tiny cracks that had apparently already been on it's surface. The worm writhed for a bit, then lay still. Irori smiled back at the grinning Mayaku. "What was that?" Irori asked, impressed, his eyes wide. Mayaku smiled proudly.

"Impressive, isn't it? It's my own special concoction! It gives the same effects as ecstasy when inhaled, "Mayaku said smugly, teaming with arrogance. Irori let out an impressed 'hmph" as he watched the worm begin to fall apart. The team looked in surprise as their sensei climbed out of the worm, puffing out purple smoke with a dazed expression.

"Good job on the test, guys!" She said in a drawling, sensual tone.

It was sunset back in the Leaf Village. Team 11 had just reached the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. They ate on Ayaka's treat and chatter surrounded them. "I _knew_ I'd find away to get you three to work together!" She said as she slurped down some ramen happily. The shirtless Irori grunted in agreement and Hyoshi nodded. Mayaku laughed heartily with a mouthful of noodles, causing the old woman, Ayame, to stare at her grotesque behavior. "You could've done it without dragging me across the ground at 20 miles per hour!" Mayaku shouted angrily through her noodles. Irori laughed and took another puff from his pipe.

"Maybe you needed a good drag through the mud?" Irori said with a grin. Mayaku glared and swallowed her noodles. "And _maybe _you needed MY poison to beat that worm?" Mayaku mocked. Irori glared as Hyoshi chuckled softly under his mask.

"Oh, and what are you chuckling about? You didn't even hurt it, eh!" Irori said with a chuckle at the silent Hyoshi. Hyoshi's eyes widened as he met eyes with Irori.

"Hey! I froze it to the ground!" Hyoshi defended with his smooth, polite tone. The four ninja let out a laugh. Ayaka, most out of all the three was smiling the most. "Even if they are the underdog Genin Team.

_"Even if they are the 'rejects' team. At least they can get along if they need to. Not such a bad team after all." _Ayaka thought to herself as she began to slurp down the last of her noodles.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Amiability_

Hyoshi Hyoga entered a dark, grey apartment. There were but a few simple things in his modest abode: a small night stand adorned with a green lamp, a single-mattress bed with gray sheets, and a door to a grey bathroom. Hyoshi walked over to his bed, crouched down, and reached under it. He pulled a 3-foot long scroll out from under it. This scroll had obviously never been opened, and signified by Hyoshi's small pry on its clasp, it could not be opened. Hyoshi took a seat on his bed and placed the scroll in his lap. He untied his Konoha head band from his upper right arm and laid it on the bed next to him. He stared down at his scroll silently.

"Irori Maguma... he seems like a good guy," Hyoshi thought to himself. "He's nice, seems funny... a little arrogant though. Probably due to his heritage, or at least what _could've_ been his heritage. Regardless of his class and personality though, he's definitely a powerful asset. And if Ayaka-sensei was able to make that massive _thing_ without depleting her chakra, she's definitely something. Even that lowlife, Mayaku is pretty impressive. But I'm sure that one poison is all she's got." Hyoshi frowned after this thought. "I might even be in danger of being the team's weak link," Hyoshi thought remorsefully. He continued to look at his scroll. "Well, I guess they finally give me a reason to try to get stronger," Hyoshi said aloud as he looked out the window on the other side of his bed, out at the dark village streets.

Mayaku opened the door into her small, dingy house. The carpet was green, with a raggedy little coffee table on top of it. Behind this table was a dingy, tacky red sofa that could not be seen past the woman sprawled across it. This woman had shoulder-length blonde hair and wore a long emerald dress. Her face could not be seen, as she was face-down in a pillow. Mayaku slanted her eyes at the woman and let out an irritated "ahem." The woman didn't budge. "Hey Mom! I'm home!" Mayaku said loudly, getting closer to the couch. The woman turned her head to the side, revealing a pale, tired face. Her eyes were a dark blue, and surrounded by red veins and dark black, sagging skin. She wore dark purple lipstick that contrasted her chalky skin. She spoke slowly in response to Mayaku's declaration. "That's good, honey... there's some noodles in the microwave. I haven't cooked 'em yet but..." Her voice drifted off. Mayaku grunted and threw her belt and the pouches on it at the back of the couch as she stomped into the kitchen.

Mayaku's noodles were cooking in the microwave and she stared blankly through the clear door, watching them rotate slowly. "Ayaka Midori," Mayaku's mind began to wander. "She seems like a good woman. Definitely better than the rest to say the least. As for Irori, he's just another arrogant man. That Hyoshi probably is too. They're all just _so_ self-absorbed," She told herself. The microwave's timer went off and Mayaku angrily grabbed her bowl of ramen out. She stomped back out into her living room. "Not like a man would ever even try to get along with me. Just like dad..." Mayaku thought to herself as she glared daggers into the back of her mother's head, who lie asleep on the couch. She kicked the back of the couch in anger, and her mother didn't budge. She looked down at the ground and closed her eyes. "Stupid..." Mayaku whispered to herself before sulking up the staircase behind her to her room.

It was nighttime in Konoha, and the dark streets were beginning to empty, save one group of four. These ninja leaned nonchalantly against the walls of an alleyway. Smoke emanated from the tallest one's cigarette. This was the Jonin, Icchiro Fujasawa. He wore a gray, yellow, and black bandana over messy auburn hair. His eyes matched his hair. His rugged face was framed by complimentary stubble, and he bore sharp teeth wrapped around a cigarette, glowing in the dark. He wore a simple baggy yellow, gray, and black shirt that matched his bandana and simple gray pants. His overall appearance was not very impressive, nor was it classy. Next to Icchiro stood Tonou Tamekaze, a Genin. Tonou had messy green hair, and wore a black Konoha head band across his forehead to keep it out of his face. He wore a high-collared black jacket that buckled down his chest. The sleeves of it were long and baggy, covering his hands, and the tails of the jacket hung down to his knees. Under his black jacket, he wore a white jacket that lined the inside of the one above it and classic black pants. Adjacent these two was the Genin, Hana Himawari. Hana was a pretty blonde and the youngest of the graduating class. She had youthful girlish brown eyes, and wore a matching short blouse. She tied her head band around her waist. Finally, next to her was Ryo Aokawa, the last Genin. Ryo wore a blue and white t-shirt with blue pants. He had messy dark blue hair with a white patch in the very front. He also had piercing dark eyes that were unusually brightened by their large size.

Icchiro spoke up first as they leaned somberly in the alleyway. "Well, we had a nice little meeting today. I think we're gonna work just fine as a team," he said lazily. His voice was quite scratchy from years of cigarette smoke. Tonou was silent, but nodded in agreement. Hana pushed herself up from the wall, and smiled. She bounced up and down with excitement.

"All of our jutsu just compliment each other so perfectly! It's like we could never be beaten!" Hana exclaimed happily. "No one will be able to ignore us!" As she finished, Ryo stood up straight also and smiled.

"We should be one of the most effective team of Genin right now. Well, except for Team 1... But that's enough for me!" Ryo spoke smooth and politely, much like Hyoshi. He smiled solemnly and began to walk away. "But it's about time to go home, isn't it Icchiro-sensei?" He asked. The other two looked up curiously.

"Yeah. I reckon so," Icchiro answered lazily as he also stood up straight. "We'll pick up a mission tomorrow, everyone. G'night," He threw his hand up at them as he began to leave and they all followed suit.

On the other side of the village a group of four ninja walked down the lamp-lit sidewalk. The tallest was the Jonin, Satoshi Saotome. He had blue hair, tied back in a ponytail and glasses. His simple tunic and pants bore a tan and brown palette. Next was the Genin, Raiken Ikazu. Raiken had big spiky yellow hair and a smug look on his face. He wore a white shirt with a yellow vest over it and had a wrist band on his right wrist made up of large yellow gems. The only other boy with them was Matsuda Takeo. Mastuda wore blue pilot gear. He had a boyish face, goggles, and a little bit of messy black hair sticking out from under his cap. Finally was Aimi Himoto. She had long straight red hair, bright green eyes and a youthful face, littered with only a few small freckles on her cheeks. She wore a red and yellow top that showed just a little bit of her stomach, and wore a short matching skirt. For what the skirt didn't cover, however she wore small burgundy shorts that only went halfway down her thighs. Covering the rest of her legs were high red and yellow boots. Satoshi spoke up first. "Alright, good meeting today! It looks like everyone will get along fine! I'm heading back home!" He said happily before making a hand seal and disappearing in a poof.

"Well, Satoshi-sensei seems to be as excited about this as I am!" Matsuda spoke up in a nasally voice. Aimi smiled and Raiken smirked. "I'm just glad you didn't turn out to be a jerk, Matsuda!" Raiken commented. "And I'm glad I'm on a team with you Aimi. I'm glad now that Irori introduced us," He added. Matsuda blushed and Aimi smiled.

"Yeah! I thought I was going to be on a team _full_ of strangers! At least I knew you beforehand," Aimi said happily. Matsuda took advantage of being left out and began to make his leave. He waved and backed away, and Raiken and Aimi returned the gesture.

"Hey, Aimi. Do you think it'd be cool if I crashed at the Maguma place tonight?" Raiken asked in a tone that assumed it would be OK. "Actually, Irori wasn't too happy about his team. You know how he gets when he's upset. He'll probably just want to rest," Aimi replied in contradiction to Raiken's tone. Raiken frowned, then smirked. "Yeah, he's probably gonna have a little family hissy. I hate being around for that. So, AWKWARD!" Raiken complained. "I'll just head back to my place," Raiken said lazily as he walked away. They exchanged waves and Aimi began to stroll back home to the Maguma District.

Irori Maguma entered the golden doors of his family's royal palace. The inside of the lobby was filled with red and golden decorations. The walls were covered with ancient paintings and scrolls, and the shelves were adorned with various golden statues and other valuable artifacts. Several red-haired ninja, clad in red and white, were scattered about this lobby. This palace was located at the middle of the back of the Maguma District, dedicated to the Maguma Clan. It served as housing for all the royal Maguma and as the center for Clan affairs. As Irori entered he was greeted by a tall and grizzlier man. This man had hair similar to Irori's, except the mohawk and ponytail was white and the surrounding hair was red. His ponytail trailed all the way to the back of his white robe with orange flames. His robe was held closed by a massive red ornate belt, adorned with a large golden buckle that resembled the clans complex crest. This man was Kishi Maguma, Head of the Maguma Clan and Irori's father.

"Irori, miboy!" Kishi spoke though a large scar that went through the left side of his lips, deforming his mouth. His beady eyes were filled with joy, but Irori knew it was fake. "How was your first day as a Genin?"

Irori sighed. "It was alright. Had to fight a giant caterpillar... or something. Got a pretty lowlife team too." Irori said without any kind of excitement. He didn't want to show his father any of the real enjoyment he actually felt in the time he spent with Hyoshi and Mayaku. He felt as though the two were a lot like him. As unexciting as Hyoshi was and nasty as Mayaku seemed, he felt they shared the same aura as him. They projected the aura of people left behind by society. However, he would never let his father know that. "I need a new robe too," Irori added at the end of his statement.

"Ah, we'll fix you up one of those real quick. When's your first mission? Kurata's out on one right-" "Dunno," Irori interrupted his father. He didn't want hear anything about his almighty, god-of-all-shinobi brother. Kishi's mouth dipped into a frown, then straightened back up. "Dinner will be ready soon," He said sternly. He left and Irori made a move for the door before the sound of the door behind him stopped him.

"_Iroriiii!_" He heard sang in a bright voice behind him. He turned around to see Aimi jogging up to him. He smiled halfheartedly. She ran directly to him and nearly knocked him through the wall with an embrace. He returned a simple pat on the back as she released him. "How was your day?" She asked him curiously. His demeanor got a little brighter. "It was actually pretty good. Our sensei seems nice, and Hyoshi, Mayaku, and me work together pretty well. What about yours?" Irori answered offhandedly. Aimi smiled. "Well, Raiken's on my team, so that was good. Matsuda seems nice too. Overall, they're a nice group of people," She answered brightly. Irori snorted as he began to walk through the door he was going through, with Aimi on his heels. "Ya know, being a ninja team means more than just being nice, eh?" Irori commented smugly. Aimi frowned. "But it IS important to get along!" She whined. Irori snorted again. Aimi smiled again. "You're _such_ a boy, Iro," She said mockingly. Irori chuckled and changed the subject. "Father says dinner will be ready soon, but I think I'll skip it," He said nonchalantly.

"Too tired?" Aimi asked curiously.

"Too annoyed."

Aimi hesitated. "Talking about Kurata?"

"Of course."

"Well," Aimi hesitated. "I'm a little beat, so I'll probably join you."

Irori smiled halfheartedly. The Himoto Clan had paid off Kishi to have Irori and Aimi married once they came of age. Irori liked Aimi, but just not romantically. He was there when she was delivered. She felt like more of a friend than a girlfriend. Irori didn't like to give her the wrong impression and tried to distance himself from her at times, but sometimes it was hard due to the simple fact that she was the best friend he had. Irori opened a golden door at the end of a long hallway on the upper floors of the palace and entered his and Aimi's private suite.

The room had white walls, a large red and gold rug in the center with an ornate golden table on it, and red and gold curtains. Making an L-shape around the rug were two red velvet couches. The first was aligned where it's back was to the door, the other to it's left. To the right were two king size beds, adorned with red and gold velvet sheets. In the back of the expansive room was a cutaway wall, with more matching curtains pushed to the side. In the cutaway was a rock room with a small personal hot spring inside of it. The palace had been built into the side of the mountain, and this room was actually cut away from the mountain. The moon shone in as there was no roof to this room. Finally, at the right of the room, the entire wall was glass and looked out across the district. Irori sat in the bed closest to the door and Aimi sat down beside him.

"Well, wanna talk about it? or..." Aimi asked nervously. Irori smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "I think I'd rather just go to sleep, Aimi." He said sympathetically. He patted her shoulder and then swung to lay down on the bed. "But, I promise we'll talk about it tomorrow!" He reassured her. She smiled and went over to her bed beside his.

"Good night, Iro!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Departure_

"Men of genius are not quick judges of character. Deep thinking and high imagining blunt that trivial instinct by which you and I size people up."

- Max Beerbohm

Irori Maguma awoke quite happily the next morning. The sleep had washed away his irritation and depression. He looked at a little red and gold origami bird that lie on his bedside table and smirked. He quickly grabbed the second pillow on his bed and slung it behind him at the back of Aimi's head in the bed beside his. She groaned just as it "papped" into her. "I was already awake, jerk!" She whined.

"Should've let me know, eh?" Irori informed.

"I didn't know you were awake! I was waiting on a 'good morning' or something!" Aimi complained as she sat up from under her blankets, revealing her pink and red pajamas.

"G'morning," Irori said offhandedly with a smirk as he got out of bed. Aimi laughed and hopped out of bed brightly. "Good morning, jerk!" she taunted. Irori grunted before grabbing his Konoha headband from his drawer and tying it around his inner right leg. "I got a mission today," he told Aimi very lazily as he grabbed a new robe from the coat rack beside his door and shoved his arms through it.

"Really? So do I," Aimi said confidently. While Irori had his back turned, she began to quickly change into her ninja clothes, tying her headband around her waist. By the time she turned around, Irori had opened the glass wall in the right of the room and was walking out onto his own personal balcony, watching the sun rise.

"I think I'm going to go ahead and head out. Get there early," he said with a bored tone as he lit his pipe and clamped it in his teeth. "It'll keep my away from Kurata and dad."

"See you tonight!"

"You too," Irori said while grinning and hopping off of the balcony into the streets below.

"Show off," Aimi giggled to herself as Irori took his leave.

As Irori was just walking through the gates that marked the end of the Maguma District when he saw a familiar face outside them. He jogged out of the gates towards the man in a Chuunin Jacket. He wore his Konoha head band around his forehead, holding back messy light purple hair that matched his bright pink eyes. His face was friendly and beamed back at Irori. "Akira-sensei!" Irori beckoned with his gruff voice as he stopped in front of the man, lightly pressing his hand against his chest and shoving him. "What are you doing out here?"

Akira Yamamoto was the Chuunin that had taught this year's graduating academy class. He had really been more of a father figure for Irori than his actual father, Lord Maguma, had ever been. Irori wasn't sure if Akira-sensei was really the greatest ninja, but he sure had the personality of one.

"I was just out here to say 'hi' and see if you wanted to get some Ichiraku?" Akira said happily. Irori sighed. "Ah man, I'd love to, but I'm heading to go meet up for a mission, Akira-sensei," Irori said in disappointment. Akira smiled "With Hyoshi and Mayaku? I'll walk you there! I've been wanting to see them too," Akira said with a smile.

As they walked, they conversed casually. "So, what's your mission, Irori?" Akira asked curiously.

"Something in the Land of Waves is all I really know," Irori said earnestly. Akira laughed.

"Wow, Irori! Going out of the Village already? You really are impressive," Akira exclaimed.

"Well, you're about the only one who thinks so, Akira-sensei."

"Lord Maguma getting on your nerves about it?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'm sure Ayaka-sensei is impressed," Akira remarked. Irori smiled.

"She better be, eh!" He exclaimed. "The whole team's working better than I thought we would!" Irori said confidently. He wasn't sure yet, but he figured that his team may come to rival his brother's one day. They were meant to be the team of outcasts, but he was confident that they could improve. They came to arrive at the gates. There stood Hyoshi, head band tied around his left bicep, and Mayaku with her head band tied around her waist. Ayaka smiled as they approached. "Ah! Akira! How are you?" Ayaka called to them. Hyoshi turned to look at Akira happily, Mayaku did the same, but much slyer.

"Tetsuo-sensei! It's nice to see you," Hyoshi said politely. Just as Akira was for Irori, he was one of the few friends Hyoshi had, seeing as he didn't know his own family. Akira had been an influential teacher to all the graduating class, and was one of the more loved ninja in the village. Akira came up to the group with Irori and clapped a hand on Hyoshi's shoulder. "Hyoshi! It's been a while! When you get back from this mission, we all should get some Ichiraku together!" Akira said happily. He loved his Ichiraku, as everyone knew.

"Only if you're paying, Akira-sensei!" Mayaku drawled. Akira smiled. "Of course," he replied. He then gave the their goodbyes and left them alone with Ayaka. Ayaka cleared her throat and began her briefing of the mission.

'Alright guys! We're going to the Land of Waves today! There is apparently a bounty hunter running around over there and Kiri doesn't want anything to do with it. So, the family of the guy's next target has hired us to go over there and stop this bounty hunter before he gets killed, and to cease more killings. You know that a bounty hunter is a big problem to the Uzumaki Treaty, especially if he starts taking work outside of the Water Country. Do you guys think you're up to it?"

"No doubt, eh!" Irori exclaimed alongside Mayaku's own cocky declaration and Hyoshi's polite "Yes."

"Good!" Ayaka responded happily. They team turned in unison and began their departure.

"Alright guys, we're here! The Great Naruto Bridge!" Ayaka announced as Team 11 landed at the end of the massive structure. A small statue of the 7th Hokage himself had been erected there in recent years. They looked up at the large gate to it in wonder. "This is where the 7th Hokage saved his first lives and fought his first battle, you know. 53 years ago." Ayaka mused as she looked on. Irori broke the observant silence.

"So this is where we're meeting our contact, right Ayaka-sensei?" He asked with that gruff voice of his. Ayaka nodded as crowds were walking by. A few seconds later a small pale girl with light brown hair tugged at Ayaka's arm. The girl had small innocent pale blue eyes and was only about as tall as the middle of Ayaka's abdomen. Ayaka smiled at the girl. "Can I help you, sweetie?" She asked as she bent down to look at her. The girl smiled with showing the stick of the lollipop she was munching.

"You're a ninja, aren't you miss? Midori Ayaka?" The girl asked sweetly. Ayaka's eyes widened. "Umm. yeah! We're the shinobi from Konoha! You must be-"

"Miki Yamato!" The girl shouted with a smile. Ayaka smiled and began to converse with the girl about the mission as Irori shot a smirk at Mayaku.

"So, she's the big bad back-up we're supposed to be helping?" Mayaku jeered sarcastically to Irori. "I wasn't aware that the client's daughter would be an infant!" Irori retorted back to her. The two of them shared a laugh and Hyoshi's eyes slanted in disappointment. Amidst the laughter and Ayaka and Miki's conversation, Miki's voice rang out. "Well, at least I'm still cute! You know, some people get uglier with age!"

Ayaka and Hyoshi rang out with laughter as Miki stuck her tongue out playfully at Irori and Mayaku. Mayaku responded with a grimace and Irori simply blew a large plume of smoke out of the side of his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5: To He Whose Eyes Would Not Comprehend_

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind."

- Wayne Dyer

It was nighttime in Konoha and the Hokage's office had been filled with his four advisors. They had been bustling about, talking to each other until the door slammed from the entrance of the pink-haired 9th Hokage. His blue eyes and boyish face were filled with rage for a change as he slammed some paperwork down on the table.

"OK! So, whose idea was this!" The Hokage shouted. There was silence. "HUH! You WILL give me answers!" There was silence once more as the advisors watched nervously. One spoke up from the crowd. "Well... Lord Hokage, we didn't want to risk one of our higher ranked Genin cells on this mission, so who else could we have sent?"

"Jonin!" The Hokage shouted furiously, "It was a B-rank mission! What made you think you had to send a Genin Team at all?" The advisors all looked down guiltily. "Why!" He demanded once more. The same advisor spoke up.

"Well, we figured it'd be a good way to purge our ranks of-"

"Of what!" The Hokage interjected. "Of rejects? No ninja in this Village is a reject as long as I'm Hokage. We do not send our own out to get killed! That is not the practices or beliefs of this village."

The advisors remained silent till the one, balding bespectacled old man that had been speaking before spoke up again. "Your father wouldn't have yelled at his advisors-"

"MY FATHER wouldn't have sent a team of Genin to the Land of Waves to die, Udon!" The Hokage raged as he slammed a pen down in his paperwork. The bald and bespectacled Udon blew his nose on a handkerchief as the Hokage looked back up and finished writing on his papers. He grimaced and turned to walk out the door with his papers. "You've all lost your positions."

A man with long red hair, tied back in a ponytail and clad in black garb was polishing a blade in the dark. The room he was in was drab and gray, and reflected in the solemn shadows was his glinting sword. He looked at his own, 20 year-old, manly reflection in the steel. He gazed on at it quietly for what seemed like several minutes, letting his own brown eyes pierce him. He dragged a white cloth up and down the blade lazily as he stared. After a few minutes of reflecting in it, he hastily stopped polishing it, then sheathed it. He stood up quickly and looked over to a nightstand in the dark. On it stood a picture of him, a woman with red hair, and they held a baby. He frowned as he clipped his word to his belt and turned his back to the picture. "Taki..." He sighed to himself as he looked down at the ground. "Mr. Tamako Yamato, here we go." He whispered before leaving his dark room behind.

Team 11, accompanied by Miki Yamato had crossed the Great Naruto Bridge and were on the way to the Yamato household. The walk was quiet for the socially awkward Hyoshi, and Irori and Mayaku who still weren't trying too hard to get along with the small Miki. Ayaka, however, had been chatting with her their entire walk. As they reached the house, Irori and Mayaku were getting weary from the loud talk from the two girls and the length of their travel, and Hyoshi was just getting tired.

"Here we are! The Yamato house!" Miki announced on the end of whatever she had been saying to Ayaka. Irori and Mayaku sighed in relief that they would finally get some rest. "You know, her father may be just as eccentric," Hyoshi whispered to the two, completely killing their high and causing their hearts to drop. Miki opened the door and they walked into the meticulously neat living room of the Yamato house. Irori had expected a room as messy and unorganized as the girl that lived in it, but that was contradicted. Everything was arranged into neat stacks and aesthetic arrangements. Irori was thoroughly surprised. "Nice place, eh!" He said, impressed. Miki smiled.

"Better than your place, rich boy?" Mayaku sneered rudely. Irori glared back at her and she smirked. Miki's eyes widened. "Rich boy? I never met a rich person before!" Miki mused, running up to Irori. "You know, this village is pretty poor. My dad's actually the wealthiest man in the village!" Miki exclaimed with a mix of pride and disappointment. Irori smiled earnestly and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, kid! Being rich isn't as great as it sounds!" Miki looked up at him. The rest of the Team's eyes slowly pointed towards him, curious of where he was going.

"How can being rich be bad? If you had money, you could pay for anything, couldn't you?" Miki asked innocently. Her eyes glossed over with a sheet of curiosity. Irori smiled as happily as he could, even though the thoughts he was voicing killed him on the inside.

"Well, sometimes things like money and pride can corrupt people. People get caught up in money and power, and it sometimes clouds their vision." Irori said somberly. There was hesitation before he smiled at the girl who still gazed up at him. "It's better to value morals in life, rather than money!"

The girl smiled. "Well, I know that! Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm stupid!" She said before sticking her tongue out at him. Irori's eyes slanted and Ayaka and Hyoshi laughed again. Mayaku grimaced at Irori silently, then shot her eyes towards a door in the side of the room as it opened. The laughter stopped as a bearded, older man walked through the door in a stained work apron and goggles on his head. His hair and beard were like salt and pepper framing his dark, tanned face and bright blue eyes.

"Daddy!" Miki exclaimed and waved happily at her father. The Genin looked curiously at the friendly-looking man and Ayaka stood up from her previous crouch to greet him. "Mr. Tamako Yamato?" She asked formally.

"Ah! Yes, that's me!" He said with a kind, raspy voice. He extended his hand to her and they shook hands. "You must be Ayaka Midori? It's a pleasure."

"No, Mr. Yamato, the pleasure is ours!" Ayaka responded with a modest smile. Hyoshi watched Mr. Yamato intently. He had never known his own parents, so he always took interest in parental figures. He had thought of Akira-sensei as a big brother of sorts, but he was only about 3 years older than Hyoshi. This man was truly someone's father. He had experience in raising a child. Hyoshi often wondered if this was what his own father was like.

Ayaka noticed the three Genins awkward demeanors. "And... this is my Genin team! Irori Maguma, Hyoshi Hyoga, and Mayku!" She introduced them with honor, almost as if they were politicians. Irori smiled, took a puff from his pipe, and nodded in acknowledgement. Mayaku grunted and Hyoshi smiled under his mask and waved. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Yamato!"

Mr. Yamato smiled back at the Genin. "And all of you, too! You look like fine bodygaurds! Actually, did I understand that you boys were Hyoga and Maguma?" He asked curiously. Mayaku snorted and left the room. "I'm finding the guest bedroom." She said quickly as she slammed the door. Ayaka followed Mayaku out, but Hyoshi and Irori ignored the rude outburst.

"We sure are! Probably the best damn body guards you could ask for, eh!" Hyoshi smiled modestly. "And excuse our drama queen teammate!" Irori said earnestly, embarrassed for Mayaku. Mr. Yamato and Miki laughed. "Don't worry!" Mr. Yamato assured, "You're all just tired, I'm sure. Feel free to go find the guest bedroom too! It's down the hall to the left."

"Have a good night, Mr. Irori! Mr. Hyoshi!" Miki said to them with an unnecessarily large smile. Irori turned to Hyoshi and Hyoshi nodded at him. They turned to go down the hall. "We'll discuss the details of your mission tomorrow, by the way," Mr. Yamato called after them. They shouted acknowledgements back as the continued down the hall. It was oddly quiet as they neared the open door that must've belonged to the guest bedroom.

Hyoshi and Irori cautiously entered the room, but they were met by Mayaku's glare. She stood tall in the doorway, and there was murder in her breath as she sighed in Irori's face. There was a moment of awkward tension. Ayaka sat on massive bed behind Mayaku, and watched nervously.

"Where do you get off, rich-boy? Telling that girl those lies about wealth! Do you want her to grow up poor?" Mayaku questioned furiously, her teeth gritted. There was more awkward tension. Finally, Irori grimaced at Mayaku, then blew a lung full of smoke into Mayaku's eyes.

"I want her to grow up wise, and to be a good person." Irori said spitefully as he tried to push his way by Mayaku. She shoved him back with hate in her eyes. "Don't talk down to me like that, brat! You flat-out lied to her!"

"Well, tell her that, eh!" Irori snapped as he glared straight back at Mayaku, feeling superior due to his few inches of height on her. There was a moment as Irori's lazy brown eyes collided with the fury of Mayaku's wild green ones before Mayaku's hand reared back and the smacking of flesh against flesh rang through the room.

In the dark streets of The Land of Waves, a man with red hair and a black hooded robe slowly wandered. He didn't seem to have any direction. His dark eyes scanned the streets for people, but unfortunately they were empty. He wandered out in the dark for two hours, his aura becoming more and more hopeless as time went, before he saw a young boy leaving a closed flower shop. The boy had a bag full of flowers.

"Out pretty late, friend." The man in the cloak's deep voice pierced the night sky. The dark-haired boy turned madly to face the man. His eyes were wide. "Wh-what do you want man!"

"Where is the Yamato Shop?"

"The Yamato Shop? Why?"

"It would be good citizenship of me to kill a thief," The man said nonchalantly. The boys eyes widened more and he dropped his bag of flowers on the ground. "O-o-o-on the north end of the river! This side!" The boy stuttered in fear. The cloaked man walked up to the boy, and finally reached him after he backed the boy into the wall of the shop.

"Thank you, you wretched thief." The man said coldly as a barbed wire dropped from each one of his sleeves. "Die, you disgusting, lowlife, boy." was the last thing the boy would hear before the sounds of steel barbed wire whipping the air and ripping flesh rang out through the empty streets.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: Separated By Life, United By Cause_

"The woman's vision is deep reaching, the man's far reaching. With the man the world is his heart, with the woman the heart is her world."

- Betty Grable

Irori sat on the edge of one of two beds in the room, alongside Hyoshi. His back was to the other bed, which held Mayaku and Ayaka and it's baby blue sheets, who also faced outwards. Irori stared at the cascading hem of his robe in silence. There was no noise from either of the boys and Irori's bed, and only a small whispering from Mayaku's side. Irori raised up his right hand and gently stroked the red, stinging mark on his cheek. He knew Mayaku was a rude girl, but he never expected her to be so savage. He respected her prowess from the Worm test for a little bit, but now he lost even that little amount. He had learned in the past few seconds that Mayaku was nothing but a self-righteous, arrogant, nasty, ignorant, bullying bastard. One of the few times his father and brother had identified someone correctly.

Irori's face began to contort with resentment. He had tried to give this girl a chance. But, she had just proven the rest of the village right. He angrily ripped his pipe our of his teeth and tossed it to the bed beside him when Hyoshi clapped his cold, glossy left hand on Irori's bare shoulder. For the first time, Irori realized that the glossy blue arm was made of pure ice. He shuddered as he heard Hyoshi's polite voice project directly into his ear. "Irori, I wouldn't worry about it. She's just emotionally distraught."

Hyoshi's voice was smooth and sympathetic. Hyoshi really didn't have any ill will towards anyone on the team, or in the village for that matter, but he wanted to even things out between Irori and Mayaku. He really did believe that Mayaku was emotionally unstable, even though he also realized that was nothing she could control. He noticed Irori smirk and scratch his cheek. "I'm sure she doesn't really dislike you or mean what she said. You just hit a nerve..." Hyoshi's voice trailed off as he thought of something else to say, but he was interrupted by Irori getting up from the bed. Irori clamped his pipe in his teeth and scooped his jacket up from the floor. Mayaku glared over shoulder at Irori's movement.

"Well, Mayaku, I bid your insanity farewell. I got some preparation for the mission to attend to, eh?"

Irori said as he triumphantly strode out of the room. Mayaku hesitated for a moment. With every step Irori took, he face grew redder and her eyes more wild and bloodshot. By the time Irori had left through the doorframe, Mayaku was as red as a tomato and her bright green eyes were plastered on equally red sclera. She leapt from the bed, with Ayaka's hand trying to pull her down by the waist. Mayaku began to yell a tapestry of obscenities at Hyoshi whom had just appeared to tell Irori she was crazy. Hyoshi's eyes widened and he tried to tell Mayaku that it was a misunderstanding, but her massive fit had flustered him too much to defend himself.

The sun was beginning to go down in the Land of Waves. Irori sat on the roof of The Yamato Shop. He packed the bowl of his pipe full, snapped his fingers to produce a spark, and lit the tobacco ablaze. He clamped the reed in his teeth and took a deep and long drag from it as he heard footsteps patter up behind him.

"Uhhm... Irori, right?" He heard the young Miki's voice meekly drift through the twilit sky. He turned his head over his shoulder to face her as he blew out his lung-full of smoke. "Eh! Little Miki, what are you doing up here?"

"I should be asking YOU that, Mister Irori! I come up here every night!" Miki responded with a smile and plopped down beside him. Irori looked back towards the small bit of the sun that hadn't fallen out of sight. He heard Miki again through the dark air. "Mister Irori?"

"Eh?"

"What did you mean about money being bad earlier?"

Irori hesitated. He took a deep breath of smoke from his pipe, and exhaled it with his words.

"Well, Little Miki, this might be hard to believe, but I'm a Second Heir. I am supposedly royalty, but my father doesn't see it that way. He doesn't care about anything but my older brother becoming the powerful new Head of Clan."

There was a small silence as Irori took another drag from his pipe.

"So, I feel my father is a prime example of money and power corrupting people. I just didn't want you, or ANYONE in the world, to end up like him."

"Well, I can't end up like him."

Irori looked at her curiously, his brown eyes asking questions for him.

"Because I'm a girl, silly!"

She said as she stuck her tongue out. Irori chuckled along with her. He needed that little bit of humor to lighten his mood. It had been 2 hours since Mayaku slapped him, and his fury had gradually turned to sadness. He really wished he could get along with Mayaku, but she just seemed unreasonable. He had hoped for a team that was, if not powerful, at least could be friends. But Mayaku was a complete emotional and social mess, Ayaka-sensei seemed to be on her side, and Hyoshi was just weird. At the time he was honestly wishing Miki was one of his teammates instead. He found himself caring less about having a powerful team and more about just getting along. He'd much rather have Raiken than Hyoshi and Aimi than Mayaku. He was only gone for a day and, as the sun completely faded away under the trees and left the sky a stale dark blue, he found himself missing his friends.

He listened to the whispers of the wind. He heard nothing in the night sky, save one metallic screeching of what seemed to be chains scratching each other. He noticed Miki start at the sudden noise. "What's wrong, eh?" He asked her, cautiously. He saw a long-cloaked silhouette approaching from far down the street as he waited for her response.

"Normally the streets are completely silent this time of night... Daddy's already shut down the shop, Mr. Irori..." Her voice became more frantic and worried as she talked. "Daddy shouldn't have any visitors this time of night! He CAN'T be coming here!"

Irori had a terrible feeling in his gut. He was afraid he knew exactly what was going on. He could tell that the approaching figure had a chakra signature. He could tell that the approaching ninja had killed. The sky reeked of blood. He didn't know what blood smelled like, but he could tell it from any other scent to ever grace his nostrils. His leg muscles began to tense. He felt his body move on it's own as he dropped from the edge of the Yamato Shop rooftop to the cold pavement, landing on his bare feet wrapped in red bandages. He gathered his surroundings, with Miki on the rooftop of the household and shop behind him, about 10 feet above him. The cloaked man was already just a few feet from Irori by the time he turned his focus back forward. It seemed like Irori had waited several minutes since he last looked. He stared at the black-cloaked figure.

There was what seemed to be hours of silence as Irori stared at the visible mouth and chin of the assailant. He noticed a small amount of shaggy red hair covering the man's eyes. His analysis was finally interrupted by the man's deep, but smooth voice.

"You are not Tamako Yamato?"

"No," Irori said, his brave words leaving his lips with no consent from his brain.

"Then why do you stand before me?"

"I am a bodyguard for Mr. Yamato."

'What is your name?"

"Irori Maguma, Genin of the Leaf Village."

"There is only one of you?"

"For now."

"Pity," The assassin mused. The man's voice was cold and intimidating at this point. Irori wasn't sure if the man's tone had changed to sound more menacing, or if it were simply the tension building between them. There was a sound of grinding steel and, in a matter of seconds, A long, thick barbed wire was slicing the air towards Irori's left side. Instinctively, he snatched his pipe from his teeth and swung it towards the wire, deflecting it. In no time, Irori was face-to-face with the assassin. He stared into the man's black eyes, where there was nothing but a void. The man's hood had fallen off to reveal shaggy red hair that was tied back in a lazy ponytail. Irori heard grinding again as his vision of his attacker's face was obscured by his fist. Irori weaved his head the the left as another barbed wire shot out of the man's sleeve. One of the barbs just caught Irori's cheek, ripping the flesh.

Irori ignored the pain and punched towards the man's gut. His target swiftly stepped out of the way as Irori stumbled past him. He glanced over his shoulder to see the man twist and swing his arms gracefully. Irori knew what was coming. He leapt just as a barbed wire swung towards where he used to be.

Irori danced and flipped about madly, tapping the ground only to launch himself back into the air. He kept up this dance for what seemed like 10 minutes before the man froze in place. His arms locked spread out to the sides as the image of Miki faded into sight. She was wrapped around his pack, holding him in a triangle-hold that seemed to have him temporarily incapacitated.

"So, you're the asssassin after Mr. Yamato?" Irori asked the obvious. He waited a few seconds for a response from the man before deciding that his question really was too stupid to require an answer. Irori continued, "What is your name?"

"Hari," The assassin answered coldly. Tension filled the air. Irori could tell this man had no concern with anything going on right now than killing him, Mr. Yamato, and perhaps even Miki. Irori wanted to ask him so much, he wanted to stall from engaging the man back in combat, but Miki had saved his life and made an opening. Irori clamped his pipe back in his teeth, then took his Hung-Gar stance. He put his hands out in front of him, left in front of right. He faced his palms outward, then ran straight towards Hari. As he dashed forwards he just prayed and wished that someone would hear this clamor outside. He knew that if this attack didn't work, he wouldn't be able to stop Hari on his own.

He finally reached Hari, and he concentrated some of his chakra into his right palm. He thrusted that palm straight for Hari's chest, but by the time he did, the man was already making a corkscrew over Irori's head, tossing Miki to the ground. A small burst of fire emanated from Irori's palm as his arm extended to it's fullest. The little flame shot out about a foot-and-a-half in front of him before it dissipated. He heard a squeal as he turned around to see that Hari had landed on little Miki's stomach behind him. He heard more grinding and, before he knew it, he was dancing madly once more, trying to avoid the flailing barbed wires.

"Poison Mist!" A quaint voice shouted into the night. irori turned his head towards Hari and Miki to see a plume of purple smoke shoot from Miki's mouth and engulf the assassin. Irori landed safely on the ground and rooted his feet for the brief second he had to watch Hari's demise. He saw the assassin stumble out of the smoke coughing and, without thought, Irori found himself weaving a few hand seals. Irori made a ring around his mouth and exhaled deeply.

"Katon! Gokyaku no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!)"

Irori exhaled a massive fireball that shot straight towards the stunned Hari. Irori expected to witness Hari's death, but was disappointed again. He watched Hari stumble out of the way and heard a whistling noise as the barbed wire ripped through the air towards him again. Irori chose a new plan of action, as he ducked the wire and tossed his jacket up in front of the attack. He watched the wire wrap around his jacket and be pulled towards Hari. Irori hopped over the next wire and made a hand seal.

"Ka!"

All the sudden, as the robe was being pulled in to be swung again, it exploded from Irori's Exploding Tag lining. The fiery blast sent barbed wire soaring like shrapnel, and knocked Hari back into a stumble. Hari stumbled right into what appeared to be a glass, transparent and slick. However, the reflection in it did not belong to Hari, but the masked Hyoshi. Hyoshi's icy arm shot out of the mirror and punched Hari in the jaw, knocking him into a stumble the opposite direction. Hyoshi stepped out of the block of ice, and appeared as if he was going to attack when a loud crash filled the night sky.

In a matter of seconds, a massive white flower had sprouted through the concrete and swallowed the area Hari had been in, and him with it. "Wood Style: Floral Consumption Jutsu!" He heard Ayaka shout as she landed on the ground, in all of her green and yellow glory.

"Irori! Is this the guy?" Ayaka questioned with the first bit of authority Irori had ever heard her use. 'Yeah!" He answered. "His name's Hari," he tried to continue, but Ayaka was already opening her flower. As the flower blossomed open, they noticed that where Hari should have been, there was now a log.

"DAMN IT!" Ayaka shouted in fury.

As Irori, Ayaka, Hyoshi, and Miki entered the house after the battle, Mr. Yamato quickly embraced his daughter. "Oh! Miki!" Irori heard him exclaim before he turned his attention towards Mayaku, who leaned in the doorway, with a sour frown. Irori's feelings of relief returned to annoyance. He strode past the smug Mayaku, and planned to say nothing. However, he found his anger leaving his lips as he passed by her and bumped her shoulder. 'Great job with the back up, partner," Irori commented as he kept walking, however he stopped only a few feet away from her when he heard her voice, for once just smooth and womanly, start. "I'm sorry I didn't make it out in time," She started, half sympathetically, half sarcastically. "I didn't get to my poisons quick enough..." Her voice trailed off.

Irori scoffed as he kept walking back to the guest room. "Bitch," he muttered snidely, with anger at her pathetic excuse for completely throwing him under the bus. He spoke just loud enough so she could hear, but making sure to be quiet enough not to make a scene. As Irori slunked into the guest room and closed the door behind him, Mayaku leaned her head against the doorframe and sighed sadly.

"I was scared OK..." She muttered under her breath.


End file.
